Workhorse of the West
by SoaringGryphonProductions
Summary: The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad No. 425 or 'Maisie' is the newest engine on the Island of Sodor. She maybe a steamy, but she has her differences from the other engines on Sodor. These are her adventures. Rated K for accidents and American Locomotives.
1. Chapter 1

**Thomas and Friends: Workhorse of the West**

 **Chapter 1: Engine No. 425**

It was a clear day on the Island of Sodor. All the engines on the Fat Controller's Railway were being really useful. One morning at Brendam Docks, Thomas and Percy were shunting trucks when they heard an odd whistle, "Bust my buffers, who is that?" puffed Percy, a new engine unlike anything they had ever seen has found a home on Sodor.

With a whistle and a wheesh, the new engine puffed into the Docks. Thomas had never seen an engine like that. The Fat Controller was there to meet him at the Docks, "Thomas, I would like for you to meet our new engine on the island, her name is Maisie," said the Fat Controller, "and I would like for you to show her around the island,"

"Yes sir," said Thomas, Maisie was a dashing engine. Like all the engines on Sir Topham Hat's railway, she wanted to prove that she is really useful. She had blue and grey paintwork, four truck wheels, six main driving wheels, and two smaller wheels behind them. Her wheels all had a white trim. Thomas smiled, "Hello Maisie, I'm Thomas,"

"Hello there, Thomas," puffed Maisie in a kind and gentle voice. Maisie beamed. Her silver bell rang, and she whistled to start her day. Thomas showed Maisie all over the island from the China Clay Works to Tidmouth Sheds. Maisie may have a kind demeanor, but she is a strong engine. There was a problem. Maisie was not like other engines.

It became very apparent when she tried to shunt trucks, but she could not couple herself to them. Maisie felt silly, "Well...not the best way to start the morning," she puffed. to herself. Gordon was coming back after pulling the express. When Gordon saw Maisie trying to shunt trucks and be a really useful engine, he snickered and laughed at her.

"Those are not your trucks," Gordon boasted, "you have your own trucks waiting for you at Knapford Station, a engine such as yourself needs the proper trucks and coaches," Maisie puffed out of Tidmouth Sheds, and steamed toward Knapford Station. Maisie was surprised to see coaches and trucks from her homeland, and they fit her perfectly.

"Hello, you must be Maisie," said one of the coaches, "I am Rosaline,"

"And I am Wilhelmina," said the other coach. Maisie beamed with excitement. They were just like the passenger cars she pulled when she pulled the express on her homeland branch-line. Even her trucks were specially made for her, and fit her couplings perfectly. Sir Topham Hat arrived at the station just as Maisie was coupled to her new coaches.

Meanwhile, Mavis was pulling trucks full of slate to Brendam Docks to be transported to the mainland. Suddenly, there was a rock on the rails. Mavis tried to stop in time, but she couldn't. With a 'snap' and a 'clank', she was bumped off the rails and into a ditch. Maisie was puffing along her branch-line when she saw Mavis had gone off the tracks.

"Keep on puffing, Maisie, you have to get your passengers to Rolf's Castle!" said Wilhelmina, but Maisie did not listen to her. The trucks cackled and giggled, and there was slate all over the tracks. The slate trucks also blocked off Maisie's branch-line to Rolf's Castle. Maisie was in quite a bind, but she knew that she had to do something for Mavis.

Maisie offered to help, "Smoldering smokestacks! That ditch sure saved your stars," said Maisie, "wait here, I'll get Rocky from the Search and Rescue Center," Maisie puffed as fast as she could, and raced on the line leading to the Sodor Search and Rescue Center, "Rocky! Rocky! Come quick, Mavis has gone off the tracks!" she said with urgency.

Rocky was surprised, "Mavis has gone off the tracks, you say? Well, we have no time to lose," said Rocky, but Maisie had a problem. She could not couple herself to Rocky. Maisie's couplings were different from those of the other engines on Sodor, "oh no," groaned Rocky, but then Rocky had an idea, "I know, I'll have Belle pull me to Mavis,"

"Right away, Rocky!" Belle puffed, "Maisie, we will use your flatbed, and you can carry Mavis back to the Dieselworks," instructed Belle, and with that Maisie rushed back to help Mavis with Belle pulling Rocky to where Mavis had fallen off the tracks. Rocky lifted Mavis onto Maisie's flatbed, and Maisie puffed over to the Vicarstown Dieselworks.

The rock had snapped one of Mavis's wheels, and cracked her piston rod, "Thank you, Maisie, for coming to my rescue," said Mavis,

"No engine gets left behind," puffed Maisie with a smile, and she went out of the Dieselworks, and went back to Knapford Station later that afternoon. When she arrived at Knapford Station, the Fat Controller was there. He was cross. She had forgotten all about the passengers she was supposed to take to Rolf's Castle. Maisie felt sorry indeed.

"Maisie, you have caused confusion and delay, you were supposed to take your passengers to Rolf's Castle, now your passengers will not be able to go back to the mainland until tomorrow morning," scolded the Fat Controller. Her driver then told Sir Topham Hat about what had happened, "I see...so Mavis had an accident on your branch-line?"

"Yes sir," puffed Maisie, "the slate cars spilled out onto the tracks on my branch-line, I couldn't go anywhere without making a bigger mess on the rails," The Fat Controller nodded in understanding at Maisie's explanation, "please sir, I couldn't just leave Mavis in a ditch all by her lonesome," the Fat Controller saw just how useful Maisie can be.

"What you did for Mavis was a very selfless act, welcome to Sodor, Maisie, you are indeed a really useful engine," said Sir Topham Hat. Maisie beamed with excitement. She puffed to the Sodor Steamworks were a brass nameplate was fitted to her blue boiler. Maisie had made a friend in Mavis, but Maisie's adventures were only just beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thomas & Friends: Workhorse of the West**

 **Chapter 2: Maisie Chuffs Through**

It was a warm and sunny day on the Island of Sodor. All the engines on the island whooshed and wheeshed, and clickity-clacked along the Fat Controller's railway. One morning, Maisie was at Brendham Docks. Maisie may look like a steam engine, but she is different from all the engines on the island. Maisie is proud of being different.

The trucks and coaches that she pulled were longer, and she had special fitters to fit her couplings. On this day, a new pumping station was being built and the Fat Controller spoke to her, "Maisie, there is to be a new pumping station to be built, and I need for you to bring lumber, tools, and steel for the workmen," The Fat Controller instructed.

"I must warn you though, these trucks will be very heavy, and I have no doubt in your strength, but you may need a backing engine," The Fat Controller warned her, Maisie smiled. This was her chance to be really useful, and prove herself to the other engines. Maisie was a kind engine, and was not afraid to ask for help when she needed it most.

"Yes sir!" she puffed happily, with a puff of white steam and a ring of her silver bell she backed in slowly and was coupled to her trucks. Cranky the Crave lowered the heavy lumber, and steel on her flatcars. The load was heavy, and made Maisie wobble on the rails. The dock workers chained down her heavy load, and she was off to do her task.

As Maisie was traveling down her branch line, she seemed to have no trouble pulling the heavy loads. She was coming around a bend when she saw Gordon's Hill up ahead. She was nervous, "I might need a backing engine if I'm going to make it up that," she then saw James puffing along. He wasn't pulling any trucks as he was going to the hill.

"James, could you be my backing engine?" she asked kindly,

"Sorry Maisie, but I have to go to the Steamworks for my new paintwork, why don't you ask another engine?" James lied, and puffed away up Gordon's Hill. Maisie was cross, and decided to climb the hill herself. The train was getting heavier as she wheeshed and strained her wheels. She climbed up the hill with all her puff before reaching the top.

She gently made her way down the hill, and around a turn. There she saw Gordon at a siding having a long drink after pulling the morning express, "Maybe Gordon can help me, he's a big engine just like me, I bet he has plenty of puff to spare," Maisie puffed to herself, and slowed down to talk to Gordon, "Gordon will you be my backing engine?"

"I am sorry, Maisie, but I have to be ready for my afternoon express, why don't you try asking another engine? I am sure they can help you," Gordon replied, and puffed grandly away to Knapford Station. Maisie felt sad seeing no engines were coming to her aide. She pulled up to the siding for a drink. Then a thought flew into Maisie's firebox.

"If no one is going to help me, then I am just going to have to do this myself," Maisie puffed confidently to herself. When her boiler was pull, she chuffed back on the rails. She had to get the supplies to the workmen waiting near Rolfstead Castle. Maisie raced along the turns and tunnels, and puffed and chuffed with all her strength up the hills.

"Go, Maisie, go, you can do it!" cheered Thomas as she chuffed passed him and down the line. Maisie was getting tired, but soon she saw the workmen waiting for her and cheering off in the distance. Suddenly as she neared the work sight, there was a rock on the rails. Maisie tried to stop in time, but she couldn't as the trucks were too heavy.

With a snap and clank, the little rock ricocheted off the rail and struck Maisie. The rock had snapped her water pipe, "Well that's not good," she puffed sadly,

The workmen had the supplies they needed to build the new pumping station, but Maisie had no way of getting back to the sheds. Edward happened to be chuffing along when he saw that Maisie had broken down. Edward gasped, "Oh no, now don't you worry, Maisie, I'll send for Rocky to take you to the Sodor Steamworks," puffed Edward.

Maisie smiled. She was happy to have gotten her job done, even if it cost her a water pipe, "Thank you, Edward," she said kindly with a beam as Edward puffed away to the Sodor Search and Rescue Center. Rocky was there to lift her on a flatbed and she was taken to the Steamworks. When she arrived, Victor and Kevin were there to greet her.

"You seem to have broken a water pipe, don't worry, we will back on the rails in no time," puffed Victor. While Maisie was being tended to, the Fat Controller was at the Sodor Steamworks. He was cross. Instead of seeing to her, the Fat Controller went to see James. Maisie wondered what he had to say. The Fat Controller spoke severely to James.

"James, you lied to Maisie when you had no work to do, you were perfectly capable of being her backing engine when she needed it, now she needs to have her water pipe replaced, If you can't behave, I shall have Maisie take over your branch line once she's repaired," Sir Topham Hat scolded, "I want you to apologize for what you have done,"

"I am sorry Maisie, I never meant for something like this to happen," James apologized to Maisie,

Maisie smiled, "That's alright, accidents happen, that's life on the rails, James," She puffed back, after her piston rod was fixed, Maisie was back on the rails and back on her own branch line. Rosaline and Wilhelmina were happy to see her again. She took them for a run at once. It goes to show, at times you have to learn to do things by yourself.


End file.
